Reminisce
by Chonoryoku
Summary: Cole is mysterioulsy brought back to life by an unknown foe. He ends up helping another demon take back the Underworld. Please R&R. Rated PG-13 for violence and occasional profanity. There's going to be quite a few twists in this story.
1. Chapter One

Author's Note: I've said this before but I'll say it again. Sometimes I have a tendency to rush my stories without realizing it. Let me know if you see that here. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed or any of its characters. I only own my original characters.

Piper sat at the kitchen table. Her hand was clasped around a warm cup of tea. It was seven o'clock in the morning. Wyatt was fast asleep. Phoebe came downstairs looking very tired.

"Good morning." Phoebe said yawning.

"Good morning." Piper replied.

As Phoebe poured herself a glass of coffee, Paige came downstairs looking unusually energetic.

"Good morning everyone!" She said cheerfully.

"What are you so chipper about this early?" Piper said.

"I dunno. I guess I just woke up in a good mood, that's all."

Chris orbed in, looking quite worried.

"Everyone up to the Book of Shadows. Now." He ordered.

"Good morning to you too." Piper said.

"Good morning. Now, you guys need to come upstairs."

"Why?"

Chris walked out of the kitchen and jogged up the stairs. When they got to the Book of Shadows, Paige said,

"You mind explaining what's going on?"

"I got attacked by a demon." Chris said while flipping through the Book.

"Who was it?" Phoebe said.

Chris stopped flipping through the Book when he reached the Belthazar's page and said,

"This is him. This is the demon that attacked me."

Phoebe felt her heart stopped and her stomach turn over.

"You must be mistaken." She said.

"No. This is the demon."

Piper looked at Phoebe and then said,

"Are you sure, Chris?"

"Positive."

"This doesn't make any sense. We already vanquished Cole." Paige said.

"Cole? Who's Cole? We're talking about the demon Belthazar." Chris said confusedly.

"Belthazar is Cole. Cole was a half demon."

"Wait a sec. Cole as in Phoebe's Cole?"

"How many other Coles are there?" Piper said.

Phoebe sat down on a nearby chair and said,

"This cannot be happening. Not again..."

"Don't worry Phoebe. We'll figure this out." Chris said.

"First thing, we have to figure out how he got back." Piper said.

In Cole's abandoned penthouse, Cole shimmered into the living room. He looked around. The place had been vacant for a while so it was no surprise that it was a bit untidy. He was alive and well. Sure, he wasn't the Cole he was when the Charmed Ones had vanquished him. He was now known as Belthazar. It felt weird being Belthazar. It was weird to keep transforming between his human side and his demon side again. After all, he hadn't had been Belthazar in so long. How he got back was an unknown question. One minute he was dead and the next he was walking the earth. Cole didn't know how that happened and he could probably care less. He was back now and that was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter Two

"Leo!" Piper called from the attic. As Phoebe and Chris flipped through the Book, Leo orbed in.

"What's going on?" He asked.

Piper explained what Chris had said. And Leo replied,

"What? How?"

"That's what we're trying to figure out!" Paige said.

"Hmm..."

"What? What are you thinking?" Piper asked Leo.

"Well, I was supposed to come down here and tell you guys that a demon has been conjuring up vanquished demons. Maybe Cole's revival is connected to that."

"Maybe. Do you guys know who the demon is?" Phoebe asked.

"No."

"Well, it's only a matter of time before we run into Cole. He's going to come here sooner or later." Paige said.

"Wait. Why did he attack you?" Leo asked Chris.

"I don't know. I ran into him and then this weird dazed look came on his face. The next minute, he was throwing energy balls at me." Chris replied.

"But he doesn't know that you're our whitelighter or that you are my son...why would he attack you if he doesn't know you?" Piper said.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm not going to sit around and fathom the motives about Cole." Phoebe said heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Piper asked.

"To find Cole. I'm not going to sit around and wait for him to attack us."

"Do you want one of us to come with you?" Paige asked.

"No. I'll be fine alone."

When Phoebe arrived at Cole's penthouse, he was nowhere to be found. She checked in his room but no one was there.

"Cole? Cole, I know you're here." Phoebe said looking warily around.

Cole appeared from one of the rooms.

"Phoebe...what are you doing here?" He said. His voice was calm.

"What am _I_ doing here? What the hell are _you_ doing here, Cole?" Phoebe said angrily.

"What does it look like? I'm back from the hell you and your sisters sent me to."

"How? How did you get back?"

Cole furrowed his brow and said,

"I don't know...I just suddenly appeared..."

He was confused now. Cole didn't remember how he got back at all.

"You suddenly appeared?" Phoebe said sarcastically. "That's a load of bull, Cole, and you know it. Why did you attack Chris?"

"Chris...that must've been the whitelighter. I saw him and then the next minute I was whirling energy balls at him. I don't know what came over me."

"I can't believe that you're lying to my face." Phoebe said. "Stay away from us, Cole." She walked towards the elevator. "We don't want anything to do with you."

She left the penthouse, leaving Cole to his thoughts.

Cole was sitting on the couch in the living room. Someone had to have brought him back and he was going to figure out whom. As he sat there, deep in his thoughts, a demon shimmered into the room. Cole looked up and saw Barbus, the demon of fear, staring at him. Barbus looked surprised to see Cole here. He had been using this penthouse to gather demons for his new plan, which was to rule the Underworld.

"Well, well, well..." Barbus said. "If it isn't Cole Turner. What, might I ask, brings you here?"

"Barbus...how did you get out of Purgatory?" Cole said, on his guard. He knew what Barbus was capable of.

"Easily, my friend. And I've been out for quite some time and now I have the chance to rule the Underworld!" Barbus was now pacing around the room.

"You? Rule the Underworld? I can't believe what I'm hearing. It's a joke. The Charmed Ones will defeat you before you can form enough followers."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to fail like you and the previous Source did. I'm going to attack them with something I know they can't beat."

"And what's that?"

"Their late sister."

Yay! Chapter Two is complete! Thank you to those that have reviewed so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. Chapter Three

"Late sister? You mean Prue?" Cole was intrigued now.

"Who else?"

"You don't have the power to bring Prue back to life."

"I know that. That's why I've asked the person who brought you back to life to help me."

"Who? Who was it that brought me back to life?"

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" Barbus was taunting him. Cole could tell that he wanted something.

"Yes I would."

"Well, how about this? You agree to help me take over the Underworld and I'll take you to the one who resurrected you." Barbus was now sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, elbows resting on the armchairs and his fingers interlocked.

Cole thought about this and said,

"Deal."

Barbus had taken Cole down into the Underworld. When they reached a chamber, Barbus said,

"Show this demon respect. Whatever you do, don't make any rash mistakes."

Cole nodded and they walked inside. The chamber was heavily lit with candles and there sat a table in the middle of the room. A throne-type chair was at one end of the table.

"Who's there?" A woman's voice came.

"It is Barbus, Anastasia. I have brought you Cole Turner." Barbus said.

Anastasia stepped out from behind the shadows. She was a slim, tan woman with wavy chestnut hair that fell to her waist and dark brown eyes that looked gentle and soft.

"Why did you resurrect me?" Cole said.

"Idiot..." Barbus muttered under his breath.

Anastasia looked angry. Barbus pulled Cole to the side and said,

"Never talk to her so directly like that." Barbus was not like his usual self. He seemed to be afraid of what Anastasia could do. "You must not be rude."

"I wasn't rude!" Cole was sick of this.

"She has a different definition of what is rude, my dear friend. I suggest you be more deferential when you talk to her next time. Or else you'll lose your head."

When they faced Anastasia again, she asked,

"Why have you come?"

"I have come because I wish to ask you a favor, milady." He bowed a little and beckoned Cole to do so. He did. When they straightened up, Anastasia asked,

"What kind of favor?" She sat down at her chair.

He told her about wanting to bring Prue back.

"You're one conniving demon, you know that Barbus?" A small smile appeared on her face. "I'll consider it. But first, what's in it for me?"

"I'll give you their Book of Shadows." Barbus said.

"All right. You've got a deal."

As Barbus turned to leave, Cole stepped forward and said,

"May I ask you something?"

"You may."

"Don't be rude...don't be rude..." Barbus repeated under his breath, loud enough so only Cole could hear it.

"Why did you revive me?" Cole asked.

"Because I knew that you would be able to help me. The only reason I'm agreeing to Barbus' proposition is because I want the Charmed Ones dead. You're strong for a half demon so I figured that you'd be able to help defeat them. You can leave now. I will send Prue to you when I have brought her back. She will be completely under your control, Barbus."

"Thank you." Barbus said, nodding and bowing one last time.

When they got out of the chamber, Cole said,

"You seemed a little afraid back there, Barbus. I didn't know the demon of fear could be afraid of anything."

Barbus didn't say anything.

That's it for Chapter Three. Chapter Four is coming soon!


	4. Chapter Four

At the manor, the sisters stood in the kitchen, making a vanquishing potion. Chris was flipping through the Book. They didn't know when Cole might attack. All they knew was that they had to be ready. After a few hours of flipping through the Book and stirring potions, the sisters decided to take a break. The three of them sat on the couch while Chris walked around the room. Leo orbed in and said,

"We think that someone's trying to reorganized the Underworld."

"What? Again?" Piper said.

"Do you guys know who?" Paige said.

"We already know who it is, Paige. It's Cole. Who else would it be?" Phoebe said.

"Maybe we should go to the penthouse and confront him." Chris suggested. "Paige, is the potion done?"

"It will be in a bit." Paige replied.

When Paige finished the potion, each of them took a vial of it and went to Cole's. The place was once again seemingly empty.

"It feels weird to be back here again..." Piper said.

"You're telling me." Paige said.

The three of them spread out and searched the room. Paige walked into Cole's bedroom. A person was standing by the window.

"Cole?" Paige squinted. She couldn't make out whom it was.

The person raised their hand and swung it at Paige. Paige was flown across the room, hitting the wall. Piper and Phoebe came running in.

"Paige, what's going..." Piper started to say. But the words died in her mouth when she saw that she was facing Prue.

"Prue." Phoebe said.

"Prue?" Paige said, getting to her feet.

Prue didn't say anything. She just started blankly at Piper and Phoebe. She then saw the vials in their hands. Using her telekinetic powers, Prue caused the vials to fall out of the sisters hands and onto the ground.

"What's going on?" Phoebe asked. "How is Prue here?"

"More importantly, why is she attacking us?" Paige said.

"Prue, what are you doing?" Piper said.

A fireball appeared in Prue's hand.

"Uh-oh." Piper said.

As Prue threw the fireball at the sisters, Paige quickly orbed them back to the manor.

"That son of a bitch!" Phoebe said, pacing around the living room. "I can't believe Cole would do this!"

"We can't automatically assume that it was Cole who did this." Piper reasoned. "He doesn't even have the ability to resurrect anybody."

"That's it! I'm summoning him here!" Phoebe said, heading to the attic.

"Wait, what?" Paige said.

They followed Phoebe to the attic.

"I'm going to get him here, find out what he did and then send his sorry ass back to wherever he came from." Phoebe said.

Piper sighed, knowing that she couldn't change her sister's mind.

Cole sat at the table in his penthouse. Prue was sitting on the couch staring blankly ahead.

"How come she doesn't speak?" Cole asked Barbus.

Barbus, who was standing by the fireplace, said,

"I don't know."

"She has no memories of her past."

"It's better that way, don't you think? She doesn't have a conscious nor does she have any emotions either. She does not feel guilt, remorse or even...fear."

"An empty shell...so what you suggest we do know?"

"Here's the plan. The sisters are most likely going to blame you for the return of Prue. So, they are probably going to be summoning you soon, right?"

"Right." Cole agreed.

"Once they summon you, tell them that a demon is controlling you and making you attack people."

"They won't believe me. I lost their trust a long time ago."

"Leave the persuasion to me, my friend."

Cole suddenly disappeared from the penthouse and reappeared in the attic of the manor. The sisters, especially Phoebe, looked angry.

"It feels like it's been forever since I've been here." Cole said casually.

"Cut the crap, Cole." Phoebe said. "You've got a lot of nerve to send our dead sister after us. How'd you do it? Who'd you have to threaten to get her revived?"

Leo and Chris orbed in. Leo jumped back a bit when he saw Cole.

"What are you up to, Cole?" Piper said.

"You guys have to listen to me. There's this demon that is control me...I don't have any control over my actions." Cole said.

"You've tried that act before. It didn't work." Phoebe said.

"No, I mean it. I don't want to hurt any more people. Maybe you should strip my powers." Cole recommended.

"Last time we stripped your powers, we accidentally brought Barbus back. We're not going to try that again and risk reviving another demon." Paige said.

"Please, help me." Cole said, staring directly into Phoebe's eyes.

His eyes were quivering.

'Maybe he is telling the truth...' Phoebe thought.


	5. Chapter Five

Author's note: I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who's reviewed so far! I really appreciate it and I'm glad that you guys like my story.

Phoebe walked over to her sisters and said,

"Maybe we should help him."

"You're crazy, right?" Piper said, shocked. "It's obvious that he's lying!"

Barbus appeared transparently in the room and said into Piper's ear,

_"How can you be so sure? Maybe Cole is telling the truth. It would make sense."_

"Listen Piper, I have a gut feeling that Cole is telling the truth." Phoebe said.

"You're right." Piper said. "And it does make sense about Cole being resurrected."

Paige looked at Piper in confusion and said,

"Now you think that Cole's telling the truth too? Didn't we make this mistake once already?"

Before Barbus could say anything to Paige, there was a loud crash downstairs. Prue was lying on the ground and a demon was standing holding a fireball.

"Hey! Stay away from her!" Phoebe said.

Piper blew up the demon.

"What do we do? When she wakes up, she'll attack us." Paige said.

"It doesn't make any sense." Leo said.

"So, what do we do?" Chris said.

"Let's just put her on the couch for now. We have to find who resurrected her." Piper said.

"I'm betting that it's the same person who brought Cole back." Paige said.

"Cole, do you know who brought you back?" Phoebe said.

"No." Cole said. "I'm sorry I can't be more help to you."

"That's okay."

He looked at Phoebe's eyes. His heart skipped a beat. Cole realized that even though Phoebe had sent him to hell, he still loved her.

"Maybe I should go." Cole said.

"Is that such a good idea?" Piper said. "If you are being controlled, you should be here where it's safe."

"But what if I attack Prue?"

"All right. Go. But if you need anything just come and find us." Phoebe said.

Cole shimmered into the penthouse. He knew that if he continued helping Barbus then Phoebe would end up getting hurt. That was the last thing that he wanted. Barbus appeared next to him and said,

"Good job. The sisters are convinced."

"Paige isn't." Cole said, still thinking about Phoebe.

"Don't worry about Paige."

If he stopped helping Barbus, Barbus would try to kill him. Cole thought that maybe he should tell the sisters about Barbus' plan.

Anastasia was watching all of this from a large crystal ball that sat in one of the rooms. She was happy with the way things had turned out so far. It was only a matter of time until Barbus gained control over the Underworld. Once he did, Anastasia would make her move.


	6. Chapter Six

Paige looked through the Book. She knew that Cole had to have been lying. There's no way that he was innocent. She was also afraid for Phoebe. She didn't want her to fall for Cole and go through all that pain again. The pages of the Book moved by themselves.

'What now?' Paige thought.

When the Book stopped, it rested on the page about...

"...Barbus." Paige mumbled.

At the penthouse, Barbus was having a conference with various demons. Most of them were willing to help Barbus in uniting the Underworld. Cole sat in the back of the room, arguing with himself on whether to warn the sisters or not. After a while of mindless debating, Cole said,

"I'm going out for a walk."

Barbus, who was busy talking, simply nodded his head in Cole's direction. Cole walked around for about half an hour until he found himself in front of the manor.

Inside the manor, Paige had told Piper and Phoebe about the Book flipping to Barbus' page.

"It could just be a coincidence, Paige." Phoebe said.

"But what if it's not? What if Barbus is planning something?" Paige said.

Chris walked in and said,

"Prue is waking up. What do you guys have planned?"

"Well, we've decided that we are going to strip her powers." Piper said. "We don't want her killing anybody."

When they got downstairs, Prue was facing them.

"Now!" Paige said.

Phoebe kicked Prue to the ground and held her down while Piper opened a vial. As Prue struggled to get up, Piper poured the potion down Prue's throat.

"Sorry, Prue..." Piper said.

The doorbell rang. Paige opened the door and saw Cole standing in front of her.

"Cole..." Phoebe said. "What are you doing back here?"

"I...." Cole started to say. He saw Prue and the vial and then said, "What happened?"

"We stripped her powers." Phoebe replied. "What were you about to say?"

"There's someone trying to reorganize the Underworld."

"I told you Barbus was up to something!" Paige said to her sisters.

"How'd you guys know it was Barbus?"

"We had a little help from the Book." Piper said.

"Sorry we didn't believe you, Paige." Phoebe said.

"That's okay." Paige replied. Turning to Cole, she asked, "Why does Barbus want to reorganize the Underworld?"

Cole thought about that and then said,

"Come to think of it...he never said why he wanted to. Maybe he thinks that if he's powerful enough, he can destroy you guys."

At the penthouse, the demons had just left. Barbus sat at the table, thinking about his next move.

"Cole's told the sisters about your plan, Barbus." A voice suddenly appeared.

"Anastasia...what might I ask are you doing here?" Barbus said, looking around for her.

Anastasia appeared in the room. The room suddenly seemed darker.

"Can't I come and help you without being question?" She replied, seeming slightly affronted.

"Of course. I'm sorry." Barbus apologized quickly. "Yes, I figured that Cole would tell the Charmed Ones sooner or later."

"And you did nothing to stop him?"

"They would've figured it out soon enough. Once I have power of the Underworld, I will be powerful enough to kill them."

"What if they defeat you beforehand? They've stripped Prue's power so she's no use to you anymore. How are you going to keep them at bay?"

"That's where you come in. I was going to come to you chamber later and ask you for another favor."

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to revive one more demon for me."


	7. Chapter Seven

The sisters tied Prue up to a chair in the middle of the living room so she wouldn't try to strangle them.

"So, what are we going to about Barbus?" Paige asked.

"I'm not sure. Every time we send him away, he just keeps coming back." Phoebe said.

"There has to be some other way to make sure this time we send him away it sticks." Piper said.

At Anastasia's chamber, Barbus waited patiently. Anastasia was reviving the demon that Barbus had requested.

'This demon should work...' Barbus thought.

Anastasia came out of one of the rooms and said,

"It is done."

A tall dark figure stood behind her. Anastasia moved aside to let the demon pass in front of her. He looked the same as he did when he first fought the sisters. His skin was still blue and his hair was a grayish-blue color and it was long and tangled.

"Shax..." Barbus said.

Shax looked at Barbus and blinked.

"He is completely under your control just like Prue." Anastasia said. She thought for a second and then asked, "Do you plan on using Prue anymore?"

"I might." Barbus said. "Maybe I should have Prue and Shax join forces and attack the sisters together."

"Good luck." She walked back into the room she came out of.

Prue struggled in her chair. The ropes wouldn't come loose. She was sitting in the middle of the living room. Phoebe and Cole sat on the couch.

"I'm really sorry about all this." Cole blurted out.

"About what?" Phoebe asked.

"About Prue being revived and everything. If I had told you guys sooner, Prue wouldn't be trying to attack you guys sooner and you probably could've beaten Barbus sooner."

"Don't apologize, Cole. All that matters is that we stop Barbus now."

Cole looked at Phoebe and thought,

'She's still as beautiful as ever.'

Phoebe saw him staring at her and said,

"What?"

"N-nothing..." Cole averted her gaze.

He wanted to ask her if she felt anything between them but he didn't. Little did he know that she wanted to ask him the same thing. The front door swung open and a gush of wind flew in. Leaves were blowing around all over the living room. Shax walked in.

"Shax!" Phoebe said. "Piper! Paige! Get in here!"

Piper and Paige came running in. They skidded to a stop when they saw Shax.

"Ahh! Bad! This is very bad!" Piper said.

"Ya think?" Paige said.

"What do we do?" Phoebe said.

"Run!" Piper said.

They ran up to the attic and flipped through the Book to find the vanquishing spell for Shax. When he came closer to them, Phoebe said,

"Piper, freeze him!"

Piper tried but it didn't work. Shax threw an energy ball at Paige. Paige was thrown across the room and hit her head against the wall knocking her unconscious. Cole came running into the room transformed as Belthazar. He threw fireballs at Shax who suddenly disappeared in a whirl of wind.

"Leo!" Piper said, running to Paige's side.

Leo orbed in and saw Paige lying on the ground.

"She's bleeding, Leo." Phoebe said.

Leo placed his hands over Paige and watched a bright light emit from his hands. Paige sat up and rubbed her head.

"Ow..." She said.

"He escaped." Belthazar said transforming back into Cole.

Barbus was in the Underworld with Anastasia. They were facing a group of demons.

"You will have your coronation tomorrow at midnight." One of them said to Barbus. "After the coronation, you will officially be known as the new Source of all evil."

"Good. Then I will finally be able to destroy those Charmed Ones." Barbus said.

'And then I can make my move...' Anastasia thought.


	8. Chapter Eight

Author's Note: Wow. I can't believe I've written this story so fast. Usually, I'll write a couple of chapters, get writer's block for a week, write some more and so on. But I've been finishing almost a chapter a day.

10:30 pm.

"I can't believe that he brought Shax back." Cole said.

They were standing in the kitchen.

"Well, we can just vanquish him the way we did last time, right?" Paige said.

"Maybe. But he might be stronger now." Leo said.

Chris came in and said,

"You guys, Prue's gone."

"What?" Piper said.

They went into the living room and saw that the chair that Prue was tied up in was now empty.

"Where did she go?" Phoebe said.

Prue appeared in the penthouse next to Shax, who was standing in the living room. Barbus was looking at both of them.

"You are both going to attack the sisters and kill them." Barbus said, pacing back and forth. "Don't come back until you are sure that they're dead."

Prue looked at him confusedly.

"What's wrong with you?" Barbus asked sounding annoyed. She didn't answer. "I asked you a question?"

Prue struggled to find her voice but when she did, she said in a hoarse voice,

"Why?"

"Why?" Barbus repeated. He seemed to be getting impatient. "Why what?"

"Why are we trying to kill them?"

'Oh great, now they're starting to question me.' Barbus thought bitterly.

Barbus sighed and then said,

"We are trying to kill them because I said so."

"Because you say so? Why do we have to kill them just because you say so?"

"Just do as you're told and go!" Barbus said angrily, waving his hand at them.

When they both disappeared, Anastasia appeared in the room.

"It looks like your control over them is slipping." She said teasingly.

"Why is she starting to question me?" Barbus said hot-headedly.

Anastasia's eyes turned red and she replied,

"Don't talk to me in that tone!"

Barbus took a few steps back and said,

"I am sorry, milady. Forgive me."

Anastasia regained her composure and then said calmly,

"I do not know why she is questioning you. Maybe you are not powerful enough to control them."

"Well, then what do you propose that I do?"

"That, my dear Barbus, is something that you'll have to figure out all on your own."

And she was gone.

11:30 pm

"I don't feel right about this." Piper said.

"I know, sweetie, I don't either but we need to do this." Phoebe replied.

The sisters had found a way to defeat Prue and Shax but Piper was reluctant.

"I know that it's just a shell of Prue but I still can't. I'll still feel like I'm hurting my sister." Piper said.

"Piper, we don't want to do this anymore than you do but we have to. We have no other choice."

The sisters jumped when Prue and Shax appeared in the room in a whirl of wind and leaves.

"Ready?" Phoebe asked Piper and Paige.

Paige nodded and Piper merely stood there.

Phoebe threw a vial at Prue and Shax. Paige did the same. Piper held her vial in her hand.

"Piper, throw it!" Phoebe said.

Piper took a deep breath and then threw the potion at Prue and Shax. Then the three of them recited,

"Guiding spirits hear our plea,

Destroy these evil beings."

Prue and Shax were suddenly blown up into thin air.

The next day...7:26 am.

The sisters were sitting on the couch. Paige yawned deeply. The three of them had only gotten a few hours of sleep last night. Cole was sitting in a chair in front of them.

"Barbus will have to have a coronation in order to become the Source." Cole said.

"When will that be?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm not sure."

"So what do we do? Just sit around and wait for Barbus to become the new Source?" Piper said.

"No. I'm going to go underground." Cole said, standing up.

"No! It's too dangerous, Cole." Phoebe said.

Cole was taken aback at how worried Phoebe sounded. She actually sounded like she cared about him.

"Listen Phoebe, I'll be alright." Cole reassured Phoebe. "I'll go as Belthazar and tell Barbus that I want to rejoin him. From there, I can stop the coronation."

"You might be able to stop the coronation but Barbus will kill you."

"She's right." Piper said. "We'll come with you."

"But how will you guys get there without being discovered?" Cole asked.

"I'm sure we'll find a way." Paige said.


	9. Chapter Nine

8:00 am

Anastasia sat in her chamber staring at her crystal ball. A stout short man walked in and said,

"I have just been informed that Prue and Shax have been vanquished, Madame Anastasia."

"Yes Rainer, I know. I saw it all." Anastasia calmly replied.

Rainer was Anastasia's advisor.

"And you are not mad about this? Won't this hinder your plan?"

"Not at all. I will make sure that Barbus becomes the new Source. The sisters won't be able to do anything."

12:00 pm

"So are you sure this is going to work?" Paige asked Leo from her bedroom door. The door was closed.

"Yeah, this isn't going to wear off in like an hour or something is it?" Phoebe said from behind her closed door.

"Don't worry, you guys. The disguises will stay until I reverse the spell." Leo replied waiting patiently with Chris and Cole in the hallway.

Piper opened her door and came out. She was a completely different person literally. She was tanner and had long blond hair and green eyes. Her face was completely different. Next was Paige. Her hair was jet black and so were her eyes. Her face was also different. Phoebe came out with a reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. Once again, her face was different. They each looked at each other.

"I don't like the blond hair." Piper complained. "Is there anyway I can change?"

"No, Piper." Leo said.

"Why do we have to change now if the coronation's not supposed to be until later tonight?" Paige asked.

"Because you are going to go underground now and stop Barbus before the coronation even has a chance to begin." Chris said.

Underground, the sisters arrived at the coronation chamber. Piper was holding onto a burlap sack. Something was inside of it. Barbus was standing in the center of the chamber, talking to Anastasia.

"Who is she?" Paige asked when they spotted her.

"Probably just another demon." Piper said.

"Here goes nothing." Phoebe said.

They walked into the chamber. A buff and surly guard spotted them and moved in front of them.

"No admittance to lower class demons." He said gruffly.

"Lower class?" Phoebe said. "How dare you call us 'lower class'?"

'I really hope Leo's plan works...' Piper thought.

"We've brought the new Source a gift." Paige said, pointing at the burlap sack.

Barbus, who had noticed the sisters, walked over and said to the guard,

"No guests are allowed here."

"They claim to have brought you something, sir." The guard replied.

Barbus eyed the burlap sack and said,

"What is it?"

Piper opened the bag and pulled out the Book of Shadows. Anastasia, who had been watching from the back of the chamber, walked over. Her eyes widened when she saw the Book.

"How did you acquire this?" She asked breathlessly.

"We stole it. Oh, and we put a charm on it so it's all right for evil to touch it." Paige said.

Barbus looked at the sisters and then asked,

"Who are you?"

The sisters exchanged worried looks. They had not thought of any names.

"My name is...Selma." Phoebe said.

"I'm Alexandria." Paige said.  
"And I'm...uh...Michelle." Piper said.

Barbus seemed to have bought it because he said,

"I thank you for your gift."

Piper gave him the Book and he looked at it in his hands.

"You must be powerful demons to have stolen this from the Charmed Ones." Barbus said. "...I have an idea. You three are to be my top assassins when I am the Source."

'Perfect...' Phoebe thought. 'Just as Leo had thought Barbus would do.'


	10. Chapter Ten

Author's Note: I saw the season premiere of Charmed. It was great.

3:00 pm

At the manor, Cole sat in the kitchen. He was worried about the sisters. Barbus was getting stronger. There had to be something that he could do. Chris walked in, reflecting Cole's thoughts.

"There has to be something we could do. Barbus is strong now." He said, pacing around the room.

"Maybe we should go underground?" Cole suggested.

Leo, who had overheard the conversation from the next room, came in and said,

"No. It's too dangerous."

"But Leo, what if the sisters..."

Leo cut him off and said,

"The sisters will be fine. They're capable of handling almost anything."

Cole sighed and wondered what was going on underground.

The sisters stood in the chamber.

"So what's our next move?" Paige asked Phoebe.

"We attack him when everyone else is gone." Phoebe replied.

When they were left alone with Barbus, they moved to the center of the chamber. Barbus was sitting in his throne. He noticed them standing there and so he said,

"Can I help you with something?"

Each of the sisters was holding onto a vial behind their backs. Anastasia was watching all of this from behind nearby door.

"We have another gift for you, Barbus." Paige said.

The three of them threw their potions at Barbus. A cloud of smoke engulfed Barbus, causing him to cough madly. When the smoke cleared, he was still there.

"How come it didn't work?" Piper muttered worriedly to her sisters.

"Good question." Phoebe said.

Barbus stood up, looking furious.

"Who are you?" He demanded.

"We were just kidding!" Paige lied. "We were trying to see if our new leader has a sense of humor" She smiled weakly.

Barbus was angry.

"Take them away!" He said to the guards.

The sisters were grabbed by three guards and thrown into a jail cell.

"Now what do we do?" Piper asked.

Back in the chamber, Anastasia walked over to Barbus.

"Those three that tried to attack you...who are they?" Anastasia asked, already knowing the answer.

"Who do you think it is? It's the Charmed Ones." Barbus replied.

Anastasia ignored his rudeness and then said,

"Well, aren't you going to do anything about them?"

"Don't worry, my dear." Barbus said, standing up from his throne. "Once I am the Source, those three won't me a threat anymore!"

5:00 pm

At the manor, Cole paced around the kitchen as Leo sat at the table.

"So are we just supposed to sit around here and do nothing while the sisters are risking their lives?" Cole said to Leo.

"Cole, they risk their lives almost everyday. They'll be fine. Don't worry." Leo said.

"But what if something goes wrong? Maybe we should go down there..."

"No. It's too dangerous. The sisters would want us to stay here."

"Leo!" Piper called from the jail cell. "Chris!"

"Piper! Are you trying to get us killed? What if Barbus finds out about our disguise?" Paige whispered to Piper.

"Barbus already knows that it's us."

"How do you know?"

"He's not that dumb, Paige."

"So, what should we do?"

"What else?" Phoebe said. "Break out of here. Piper, blow up the cell bars."

Piper hesitated but then blew the cell bars out.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. Things have been quite hectic and I just haven't had the time to sit down and write.

The two demons that were guarding the cell attacked the sisters with fireballs. But of course, Piper blew them to pieces. They walked into a big room with a crystal ball in the center. It was Anastasia's main chamber. When they heard footsteps, they hid behind a large boulder that sat on one side of the room. Anastasia walked in, looking disgruntled. Rainer followed behind her. When she plopped down on her throne, Rainer asked,

"May I get you anything, Lady Anastasia?"

"No." She said. She sighed angrily and said, "Barbus is going to ruin everything! He should have just killed the sisters when he had the chance."

"Not all is lost, right milady?"

"It's too soon to tell. We'll have to wait until the coronation. As long as the Charmed Ones don't interfere anymore then everything will go according to plan. Once Barbus is the Source, I will kill him and take his throne."

"No offense, madam, but what if Barbus becomes stronger than you?"

She flashed her now red eyes at him and said,

"You dare question me?!"

Rainer quickly bowed and said,

"No m'am. I'm sorry."

A demon walked in and said,

"Lady Anastasia, you are needed in the Source's main chamber."

When they left, the sisters came out from their hiding spot.

"What was that all about?" Paige said.

"She going to kill Barbus as soon as he takes the throne." Phoebe said.

5:30 pm

At the manor, the guys stood in the attic. When the sisters orbed in, not in their disguises, Cole immediately when to Phoebe's side and asked,

"Are you guys all right? What happened?"

Phoebe explained what the three of them had overheard.

"So wait, isn't that a good thing? She's going to kill Barbus." Chris said.

"No, it's not good." Leo said. He was looking in the Book of Shadows. "It says here that 'Anastasia is one of the most powerful demons ever. There has been no record of a potion to vanquish her.'

"So what do we do?" Paige asked.

"Well, we go tell Barbus what Anastasia is up to and then we join forces with him to find a way to defeat her." Phoebe said.

"Join forces with Barbus?" Paige repeated, sounding shocked. "You're kidding, right?"

"I wish I was." Phoebe replied.

"But, we can't – "Paige argued.

"It's not like we have a choice, Paige." Piper reasoned. "I don't like it either but if Anastasia comes to power then we're doomed."

6:00 pm

At the penthouse, Barbus stood in the center of the room. The sisters orbed in.

"You!" Barbus said throwing an energy ball at them.

Piper countered the ball by exploding it and Phoebe said,

"Listen up, Barbus. We've come to warn you."

Phoebe told Barbus what she had overheard Anastasia tell Rainer. Barbus didn't look like he was buying any of it.

"You really think I'm that gullible, don't you Phoebe?" He said.

"We're not trying to trick you, Barbus." Piper said.

Anastasia was watching all of this from her chamber.

"Damn, those sisters will ruin everything!" She said angrily. "Rainer, get in here!"

Rainer came in and said,

"Yes m'am?"

"Call for Katima."

Chapter Twelve is coming soon!


End file.
